Those of us who have been reporting on and discussing politics for the past few decades have come to expect rough-and-tumble campaigns. As Chicago writer Finley Peter Dunne once observed: “Politics ain’t beanbag.” But the nature of the 2012 presidential campaign so far raises questions about how, or even whether, the eventual winner will be […]
Republicans got their top picks in two North Carolina congressional runoffs Tuesday, furthering the likelihood they will flip several seats in the Tar Heel State this fall. In the 8th District runoff, former Capitol Hill aide Richard Hudson easily defeated former Iredell County Commissioner Scott Keadle, 64 percent to 36 percent, and will face Rep. […]
Rarely a day goes by without some journalist noting that another Member of Congress is passing up the very forgettable opportunity of attending his or her party’s convention later this summer. The list of media outlets to report on this “development” is long and getting longer: the New York Times, CBS News, USA Today, CNN, […]
There’s good news on the horizon for attention-deprived candidates: Millions of voters will soon be glued to their television screens in a normally dead time for campaign advertising. The bad news is that it’s the Summer Olympics, and candidates and outside groups will have to spend a premium to reach those viewers. It’s easily one […]
Wisconsin has drawn plenty of attention recently, first because of the recall election of Gov. Scott Walker (R) and then because it is one of a handful of swing states in the 2012 presidential election. But it is the Senate race for retiring Democrat Herb Kohl’s seat that could end up being the state’s most […]
While I interview more than a hundred candidates each election cycle, I don’t evaluate them the way the average politically interested observer does. I don’t care about their ideology or their views on issues — except to the extent that their views make it easier or harder for them to get elected. Having a scenario […]